Halo 2 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas have been enormous sellers in the last month, selling more than eight million copies world-wide between them.

Half-Life 2, developed by Valve software, was one of the most anticipated video games of all time.

The game impressed critics with its detailed graphics and animation, real-word physics system and strong storyline.

The player experiences the world through the eyes of Gordon Freeman, the bespectacled scientist who starred in the original 1998 Half-Life.

Freeman is transported to the sinister City 17, where he battles an oppressive police state and joins a resistance movement.

Halo 2 has proved a hit for Microsoft's Xbox with, on average, more than 300,000 people a day battling each other online.

Ms Robertson said 2005 promised to be as exciting as the last 12 months.

She said: "The UK will see the launch of both the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS, and both of these handheld consoles have the capacity to revolutionise the range of people who play games and the nature of the games they play.
"